Birth

Walter, the fourth child of George and Eliza Haggett, was born at Pendomer in 1859. His father, George, was a farm labourer.

Childhood

When Walter was eleven, he lived with his parents at Sutton Bingham.

By April 1881, he and his parents had returned to Pendomer.

Occupation

By April 1881, Walter was a railway labourer, an occupation he pursued for the rest of his working life.

Marriage

In 1882, Walter married Martha Eastment of Hardington. She was the daughter of Reuben and Jane Higgins. Martha’s mother, Jane, died later that year.

Hardington Marsh

After their marriage, Walter and Martha lived at Hardington Marsh until about 1888.

Pendomer

Walter and his family then moved to Pendomer, where they lived until about 1893. The census of 1891 shows them living at Pen Dairy House.

Barry Lane, Hardington

From about 1896 until 1909, they lived in Barry Lane, Hardington.

Accused of poaching

In the late 1890s, Henry Sandiford engaged Walter to kill rabbits and hares. This arrangement led to problems with Sandiford’s landlord, who, in December 1898, prosecuted Walter, claiming exclusive rights to the game. Although Walter’s solicitor successfully argued that these rights did not extend to rabbits and hares, the magistrates insisted that if Sandiford engaged someone else to kill these animals, the contract had to be in writing. As it was not in writing for that particular year, Walter had to pay the landlord’s costs. [1]

Rectory Lane, Hardington

In April 1911, Walter, Martha, and two sons lived near Hardington Church, probably in Rectory Lane. The census describes Walter as a farm labourer, but the word “Invalid” was written and then crossed out.

By June 1921, Walter was a chronic invalid.

Death

Walter died in late 1925/early 1926, aged 66.

Martha’s later life

After Walter’s death, Martha moved to Yeovil. In September 1939, she lived alone at 6 Spring Gardens, close to where her son, Frederick, lived at 1 Spring Gardens, and her daughter, Mary Jane, lived at 39 Wellington Street.

Martha died in late 1939/late 1940, aged 78.

Children

Walter and Martha had four sons and one daughter:

1882-Walter, who died in Basra in 1916;

1884-Mary Jane, who married James Parsons of West Coker;

1887-Wilfred Ernest, who died in France in 1915;

1889-Sidney, who became a hotel porter in Alton;

1892-Frederick, who became a motor mechanic in Yeovil.

References

[1] Taunton Courier and Western Advertiser 14 December 1898 p. 7.